1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to an automobile roof carrier for transporting long size articles such as skis.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a known example of roof carrier for automobiles for transporting long size articles such as skis, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open Hei 3 No. 42446 discloses a ski carrier which is provided with a magnetic base that is attracted magnetically to the roof top of automobiles.
Referring to FIGS. 1 through 3, conventional ski carriers of this kind includes a magnetic base portion 1 that is attracted magnetically to a roof R of an automobile A. The magnetic base portion 1 is provided at an appropriate location of the outer peripheral portion thereof with a gripping portion 1A for removal. A semi-cylindrical block 2 is integrally joined on the top central portion of magnetic base portion 1 and is attached with a ski holder 5 in a rotatable and up-and-down movable manner by means of a pair of right and left studs 4, 4 that rotate forward and backward of the vehicle relative to block 2 on a rotating axis as the center thereof from a lying position to an upright position. At the upright position of ski holder 5, a pair of skis 6 are fit into a pair of fitting grooves 5A, 5A formed side by side in ski holder 5. At this time, ski holder 5 is descended mainly due to the weight of skis 6 so that ski holder 5 is assured to be engaged at the upright position. Further, the engagement state can be released by lifting up ski holder 5 so that the holder 5 may be laid down.
In the prior art roof-topped ski carrier described above, attachment of skis 6 to ski holder 5 is performed by fitting skis 6 into ski fitting grooves 5A, 5A and thereafter binding them with a rubber strap (not shown) in an appropriate manner, whereas the rubber strap is unbound when the skis 6 are to be removed. Consequently, the operation of attachment and removal of skis 6 is complicated resulting in poor operativity. Besides, since skies 6 are fixed with a rubber strap, the fixing state can be released easily by a third person so that skis 6 are exposed to a danger of being stolen.
On the other hand, in a case where the ski carrier is not engaged, the ski carrier can be removed from roof R of automobile A by hooking fingers on gripping portion 1A for removal to pull up carrier base 1. At this time, the base is kept being pulled up so that the attracted area of magnetic base portion 1 to roof R is reduced gradually.
However, the prior art ski carrier can be easily detached from roof R since gripping portion 1A for removal is also exposed outside. Accordingly, the ski carrier itself is exposed to a danger of being stolen.
In conclusion, the prior art roof-topped ski carriers described above have no anti-theft measure. As a result, not only the skis but also the roof carrier itself might be stolen, so that the carrier suffers from low security.